Guillaume Verdier in partnership with VPLP form a remarkable team which altered the course of IMOCA Open 60 design, taking it in a new direction with their design of Safran for Marc Guillemot for the last race. They pushed the values of significantly reducing weight and drag, making the boat easier and more efficient to drive which was somewhat different to the prevailing notion that all-out power and speed was everything. In this Vendée Globe it is VPLP-Verdier boats, Macif and Banque Populaire, which smashed the race record when they took first and second places.
